4 Indian nationals accused of trafficking 100 people or more in Texas and forcing them to perform tech labor: Report



Four people of Indian origin have been arrested and charged after allegedly forcing perhaps more than 100 people to live in confined quarters in Texas and perform computer-related labor.

In March, a pest control company became concerned after providing services for bed bugs at a residence in Princeton, Texas, about 40 miles northeast of Dallas. When company staff members arrived at the home, they reportedly discovered between three and five women crammed into each room, suitcases strewn everywhere.

Further investigation revealed that the alleged forced-labor scheme involved perhaps more than 100 victims, both male and female, and several locations, including in nearby cities Melissa and McKinney.

The company called Princeton police, asking for a welfare check at the home. Detectives eventually obtained a search warrant for the residence, and what they found there was shocking.

According to reports, at least 15 women had been living at the home, working as programmers for shell companies owned by the homeowner, Santhosh Katkoori, and his wife, Dwaraka Gunda, both of whom are 31 years old.

At the home, investigators discovered "multiple" electronic devices, including laptops, cellphones, and printers, a police press release said. They also found allegedly forged documents.

Further investigation revealed that the alleged forced-labor scheme involved perhaps more than 100 victims, both male and female, and several locations, including in nearby cities Melissa and McKinney. Electronic devices and "documents" were confiscated from those sites as well, the press release said.

On Monday, four individuals — Katkoori and Gunda as well as 24-year-old Chandan Dasireddy and 37-year-old Anil Male — were arrested and charged with trafficking of persons, a second-degree felony that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

The press release states that the four suspects currently live in Texas, but other reports indicate that they may originally come from southeastern India. "Four persons from the Telugu States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were arrested in Collin County, Texas, United States, on Monday on charges of alleged trafficking of people," read an article from the Hindu, an India-based outlet.

The Times of India used similar language, describing the suspects as "four individuals of Telugu origin."

Blaze News left a message for the Princeton detective assigned to the case, asking for further clarification on the suspects' citizenship but did not receive a return call.

Police did hint that further arrests will be made in the case and other charges may be forthcoming.

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States Want China’s Shein To Come Clean About Slave Labor Before It Joins US Stock Exchange

Sixteen state attorneys general are pressing the federal government to instate regulations that would force the Chinese-owned online retailer Shein to address allegations it relies on slave labor ahead of its possible inclusion on the U.S. stock exchange.

The post States Want China’s Shein To Come Clean About Slave Labor Before It Joins US Stock Exchange appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Joe Biden's Immigration Policy Comes Home To Roost

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The post Joe Biden's Immigration Policy Comes Home To Roost appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

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House Passes Uyghur Anti-Slavery Bill Over Kerry’s Objections

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The post House Passes Uyghur Anti-Slavery Bill Over Kerry’s Objections appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

US House passes bill banning imports from China over Uyghur slave labor



The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would ban the importation of products made in the Xinjiang region of China due to concerns about communist country's treatment of religious and ethnic minorities.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 428-1.

The bill aims to impose economic sanctions on the northwest region of China due to the use of slave labor and subjugation of the Uyghur Muslims to make goods.

The legislation has received overwhelming support from both parties and is viewed as a stand against China's genocide of the country's religious and ethnic minorities. In fact, in a rare turn of events, the bill has united Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.).

The bill got attention after Rubio stalled action on the annual defense bill in an effort to get the same language into the defense legislation as an amendment, NPR said. The Florida senator's efforts failed, so when the House passed the Chinese labor bill, he offered his support.

"This is a bill that says if products are made in that part of China they are presumed to have been made by slave labor unless the manufacturer can prove it wasn't," Rubio said.

There is some concern among Republicans about whether or not the Biden administration will support the bill. Sen. Rubio said in a statement Wednesday that the Biden administration and corporate interests are "already working to complicate things here in the Senate."

However, State Department spokesperson Ned Prince said on Wednesday that the administration did not oppose the bill and would not lobby against it. Prince claimed that the administration "has perhaps done more than any administration and really galvanized the international community to put a spotlight on what has taken place in Xinjiang."

Democrats appear hopeful that the Biden administration will support the legislation since the bill's details align with the administration's diplomatic stand not to attend the Winter Olympics, made earlier this week due to China's human rights violations.

The bill now heads to the Senate and, if signed into law, will take effect no later than June 8.

President Biden has yet to issue a statement about whether he supports the bill but has expressed a shared concern about the forced labor in China's Xinjiang region.

When asked whether the president will support the legislation if it passes the Senate, Speaker Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill indicated that the speaker believes the president will support the bill.

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